Apparatus for preforming and prefolding cartons



Sept, 24, 1963 H. s. DAVIES 3,104,598 APPARATUS FOR PREFORMING AND PREFOLDING CARTONS Filed July 20, 1961 '4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. HARRY SHENTON DAVIES his ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 24, 1963 3,104,598

APPARATUS FOR PREFORMING AND PREF'OLDING CARTONS Filed July 20, 1961 H. s. DAVIES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. HARRY SHENTON DAVIES his ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 24, 1963 H. S. DAVIES APPARATUS FOR PREFORMING AND PREFOLDING CARTONS Filed July 20, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 A INVENTCR. HARRY SHENTON DAVIES his 7 ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 24, 1963 H. s. DAVIES 3,104,598

APPARATUS FOR PREFORMING AND PREFOLDING CARTONS Filed July 20, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. HARRY SHENTON DAVIES BY W Fr, Lg hi United States Patent 3,104,598 APPARATUS FOR PREFORMKNG AND PREFOLDING CARTONS Harry Shenton Davies, Stockton Heath, England, 'assignor to Lever Brothers Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maine Filed July 2.0, 1961, Ser. No. 125,450 Claims priority, application Great Britain July 21, 1960 4 Claims. (Cl. 9353) The present invention relates to packaging apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for preforming and prefolding collapsed cartons.

Cartons typically have two major and two minor side walls and end walls in the form of flaps extending from the side walls and, when erected, form rectangular parallelepipeds and are used for many purposes including, for example, the packaging of soap powders.

Cartons are generally manufactured from flat blanks punched out of a strip of paperboard or similar material and simultaneously provided with score lines or creases which delimit the side walls and flaps from one another. One edge of each blank may be provided with a narrow strip-like extension which is glued to the opposite edge of the blank so that the cart-on takes the form of a flat sleeve. In this state it is referred to as a collapsed carton.

Before a collapsed carton is erected, it is usually opened out until its cross section is rectangular and then collapsed again. This operation is called preforming if the carton is collapsed to its original state and prefolding if it is collapsed to the opposite state in which adjacent sides will have been folded through 180 with respect to each other. Thereafter, in either case, the carton is erected by opening it out again until its cross section is rectangular and then closing and gluing or otherwise securing the bottom flaps.

The purpose of preforming or prefolding a collapsed carton is to weaken the creases or score lines and thereby counteract the tendency of the carton to return to a collapsed state. Preforming and particularly prefolding greatly facilitate obtaining a rectangular cross section of the carton during the erection thereof and maintaining a rectangular cross section while the end flaps are closed and glued.

The present invention provides novel and effective means for preforming and prefolding collapsed cartons wherein one wall of the collapsed carton is engaged and moved pivotally relative to an adjacent stationary wall to erect the carton and thereafter another wall of the carton is engaged and moved relatively to the stationary wall to collapse the carton into a preformed or prefolded state.

lore particularly, a typical apparatus embodying the invention includes means for holding one wall of a collapsed carton substantially stationary while a first abutment means moves into engagement with and moves pivotally an adjacent wall of the collapsed carton relatively to the stationary wall to open the carton, and thereafter second abutment means engages the opened carton to collapse it.

One preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a suction head adapted to hold one wall of a collapsed carton, a first pair of rollers for feeding a collapsed carton to the suction head, one of the rollers having an abutment adapted to engage and move a trailing edge of the collapsed carton relative to the wall held by the suction head to effect opening of the carton, and a second pair of rollers for collapsing the opened carton and drawing it from the suction head, one roller of the second pair of rollers having an abutment adapted to engage a wall of the opened carton and move the opposite walls of the carton relatively to collapse the carton. Preferably, the

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arrangement is such that the carton is prefolded rather than preformed.

For an understanding of further aspects of the inven tion, reference may be had to the following detailed description of a representative embodiment thereof and to the accompanying figures in the drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of parts of the machine of FIG. 1, showing the first stage in the passage of a carton through the machine; and

FIGS. 3 through 8 show schematically in plan view subsequent stages in the passage of a carton through the machine.

FIG. 1 shows an endles chain conveyor 1 driven by conventional means in the direction shown by the arrows and adapted to support a supply of collapsed cartons and urge them toward an end plate 2. The end plate 2 has two guide strips 3 which the leading collapsed carton abuts. An ejector blade 4 is supported by means of the guide strips 3 for sliding movement relative to the end plate 2. The blade 4- has two arms of which each has a thin portion 5 lying just behind the surface of the adjacent strip 3, a thicker portion 6 which protrudes beyond the surface of the adjacent strip 3, and a shoulder 7 between those portions. The part of the shoulder 7 protruding beyond the adjacent strip 3 is slightly less in thickness than the thickness of a collapsed car-ton C, shown in phantom outline, and is engageable with an edge of the car-ton to push it out of the stack. The blade 4- is connected by a link 8 to an eccentric 9 for reciprocating the blade and feeding successive cartons to the preforming or prefoldiug mechanism.

Two pairs of narrow rollers 10 and :11, all having the same diameter, are disposed adjacent to the end plate 2. The two rollers 10 are identical and are rigidly mounted on a common vertical shaft 10' journaled in a frame F. Each roller 10 has an abutment formed by cutouts 12, the two cutouts being vertically aligned. The two rollers 11 are identical and are rigidly mounted on a common vertical shaft 11 journaled in the frame F. The shaft 10 is geared to the shaft 1 1' by gears G so that the rollers 10 and 11 rotate in opposite directions, as shown by the arrows, at the same speed.

A pair of arms 13 are pivoted about a fixed vertical shaft 14. The arms 13 are spring-biased counterclockwise into the position shown in all the figures except FIG. 3. Each of two vertically-aligned projections 15, one on each of the rollers 11, is adapted to pivot the corresponding arm 13 into the position shown in FIG. 3 with every revolution of those rollers to push the trailing edge of the carton into a position for engagement by the abutments formed by the cutouts 12.

Another two pairs of rollers 16 and 17 are disposed on the side of the rollers 10 and 11 opposite the end plate 2. All the rollers 16 and 17 have the same diameter, which, in the embodiment shown, is more than twice that of the rollers 10 and 11. The two rollers 16 are identical and are rigidly mounted on a common shaft 16, and the two rollers 17 are identical and are rigidly mounted on a common shaft 17'. The shafts 15' and 17' are journaled in the frame F.

Each roller 16 has two diametricallyppposed aJbutments formed by large cutouts 18 and 19. The two cutouts 18 are vertically aligned one with the other. Similarly, the two cutouts 19 are vertically aligned with each other.

The shafts 16' and 17' are geared together by gears G so that the rollers 16 and 17 rotate in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows, at the same speed. The shaft 17' is driven by an electric motor or other prime mover (not shown) and carries a sprocket 20 which is connected by a chain 21 to a smaller sprocket 22 on the shaft 11'. The sizes of the sprockets 29 and 22 are advantageously chosen so that the rollers 19 and 11 are rotated at twice the angular velocity of the rollers 16 and 17.

A manifold 23 stationary with respect to the frame F and in spaced-apart relation to the rollers 10, 11, 16 and 17 has an interior sleeve valve 23' and carries a holding means such as four suction cups 24. The upper end of the manifold 23 is connected to a source (not shown) of vacuum, and the sleeve valve 23' is connected to a rod 25.

he rod 25 is pivotally connected at 26 to an arm 27 which is pivotable about a fixed horizontal axis 28.

When the arm 27 is actuated by conventional means such as a cam 27 mounted rigidly on the shaft 17' and driving a cam follower 27" to move the rod 25 upwards, the sleeve valve 23 is slid upwards to bring the suction cups 24 into communication with the interior of the manifold 23 and to close a port 29. On actuation of the arm 27 by the cam 27' to return the rod 25 downwards, the sleeve valve 23' seals the suction cups 24 from the interior of the manifold 23 and opens the port 29, thereby connecting the manifold and the suction cups to atmosphere.

Each roller 17 has two diametrically-opposed pawls 30 (see also FIGS. 2-8) pivoted in poockets in the circumferential surface of the roller. biased outwards into the position shown in the drawings but capable of being pushed into its pocket until it no longer protrudes from but is level with the circumferential surface of the roller.

A bar 31 parallel to the manifold 23 is mounted on an arm 32 for movement towards and away from the suction cups 24 for pushing a collapsed carton against the suction cups. The arm 32 is actuated by any suitable means such as a cam 3.. mounted on the shaft 17' and driving a cam follower 32".

The plane of the blade 4 lies in the plane of the hips of the pairs of rollers 19, 11, 16 and 17, and the suction cups 24 and the bar 31 are disposed on opposite sides of this plane, but closely adjacent thereto.

The eccentric 9 is driven by means of suitable mechanical linkage by the shaft 17', and the eccentric 9 and the cams 27' and 32 are so designed and phased with respect to one another as to produce the following operation of the machine: The chain conveyor 1 is driven in the direc tion indicated by the arrow so that a supply of collapsed cartons, each supported in a vertical plane by the conveyor 1, is urged towards the end plate 2, the leading carton being pushed against the bars 3. The blade 4 is reciprocated by the eccentric 9 so that the shoulders 7 push the leading carton to the left in FIG. 1 until the leading edge of this car-ton enters between the pairs of rollers 1t and 11. These rollers feed the carton towards the suction cups 24, as shown in FIG. 2.

When the carton is approximately midway between the pairs of rollers 1G and 11, the bar 31 is moved towards the suction cups 24 to push a wall 34 of the collapsed carton C thereagainst, as shown in FIG. 3. At the same time, the rod 25 is moved upwards (FIG. 1) to connect the suction cups 24 to the source of vacuum so that the suction cups hold the wall 34 at a point adjacent to and on the leading side of the score line 35. The arms 13 are thereupon pivoted by the projections to push the trailing edge 36 of the collapsed carton C into the cutouts 12, as shown in FIG. 3.

At the same time, the bar 31 is moved away from. the suction cups 243 and out of contact with the carton, as shown in FIG. 4.

The trailing edges 37 of the cutouts 12 then pivot the wall 38, as shown in FIG. 4, through an angle of about 90 relatively to the held wall 34 to open the carton C to the position shown in FIG. 5. During the opening operation, the edge 39 of the carton enters the cutouts 18 in the rollers 16.

The rod is then moved downwards (FIG. 1) to cut Each pawl is spring off the suction to the cups 24, which release the wall 34. Simultaneously, the trailing edges 49 of the cutouts 18 contact the wall 41 of the carton C and begin to collapse While the re-co-llapsed carton is being ejected, a sec-t ond cart-on is being drawn between the rollers 10 and 11. The second carton is opened and re-collapsed in the same way as the first, except that the cutouts 19 take the place of the cutouts 18.

The minimum size of each roller and the number of cutouts it has are determined by the size of the carton. The cutouts 12 should be large enough to allow the carton to be opened through while the trailing edge 36 is engaged by these cutouts. The cutouts 18 and 19 should be large enough to receive the edge 39 of the carton before the circumferential surfaces of the rollers 16 contact the carton. If there is more than one cutout per roller, there should be sufficient lengths of are between the cutouts to dispense the re-collapsed cartons.

In the machine shown, the rollers 16 and 17 have diameters of 12. inches and the rollers 10 and 11 diameters of 4 and inches. This machine has been found capable of handling collapsed cartons at a high rate; it has successfully handled cartons in which the wall 34 was 6 and /4 inches and the wall 38 was 1 and We inches at 300 per minute. It has also been found capable of handling collapsed cartons which are substandard, such as cartons which have been indifierently folded in the making, bent in transit or storage, or made of a paperboard having substandard strength. These substandard cartons have previously presented difiiculty, particularly in attempting to preform or prefold at high speed.

Thus, there is provided in accordance with the invention novel and highly effective apparatus for use in packaging. Many modifications of the apparatus described are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while the abutments in the embodiment shown are formed by cutouts, they may also be formed by projections. Further, with suitable modification, which in the light of the preceding disclosure will be obvious to workmen skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, the apparatus of the invention is adapted to preform cartons rather than prefold them. Accordingly, the in vention is to be construed as including all of the modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for opening out and collapsing cartons comprising a holding means for holding 'a first wall of a collapsed carton having first, second, third and fourth walls, a first two of said walls being opposed and parallel 1 to each other and a second two of said walls being opposed and parallel to each other and interposed between said first two of said walls, and score lines delimiting said first two walls from said second two walls, a first rotatable.

roller mounted in spaced-apart relation to said holding means, a first abutment means formed by a cutout on said first rotatable roller for pivoting another Wall of the collapsed carton relatively to the one wall to open the carton while the one wall is being held, a second rotatable roller mounted in spaced-apart relation to said holding means and said first rotatable roller, a second abutment means formed by a cutout on said second rotatable roller for collapsing the carton, a third roller forming a nip with said first roller for feeding the collapsed carton to said holding means, a fourth roller forming a nip with said second roller for drawing the carton therebetween as the carton is collapsed, a fifth roller similar to and mounted coaxially with said first roller, a sixth roller similar to and mounted coaxially With said second roller, a seventh roller mounted coaxially with said third roller and forming a nip with said fifth roller for feeding the collapsed carton to said holding means, an eighth roller mounted coaxially with said fourth roller and forming a nip with said siXth roller for drawing the carton ther between as the carton is collapsed, two lever arms pivotally mounted adjacent to said third and seventh rollers, respectively, for pushing said other wall into said cutouts of said first and fifth rollers, and projections on said third and seventh rollers for actuating said lever arms.

2. Apparatus for opening out and collapsing cartons comprising a holding means for holding a first Wall of a collapsed carton having first, second, third and fourth walls, a first two of said walls being opposed and parallel to each other and a second two of said walls being opposed and parallel to each other and interposed between said first two of said walls, and score lines delimiting said first two walls from said second two walls, a first rotatable roller mounted in spaced apart relation to said holding means, a first abutment means on said first rotatable roller for pivoting another wall of the collapsed carton relatively to the one wall to open the carton whilethe one wall is being held, a second rotatable roller mounted in spaced apart relation to said holding means and said first rotatable roHer, a second abutment means on said second rotatable roller for collapsing the carton, a third roller forming a nip with said first roller for feeding the collapsed carton to said holding means, a fourth roller forming a nip with said second roller for drawing the carton therebetween as the carton is collapsed, and a locating means mounted ad jacent to said third roller for pushing said other wall into engagement with said first abutment means.

3. Apparatus for opening out and collapsing cartons comprising a stationary holding means for holding one wall of a collapsed carton, first movable abutment means mounted in spaced-apart relation to said holding means for pivoting an adjacent wall of the collapsed carton relatively to said one wall to open the carton while said one wall is being held, and second movable abutment means mounted in spaced-apart relation to said stationary holding means and said first movable abutment means for collapsing said carton.

4. Apparatus for opening out and collapsing cartons comprising'a stationary holding means for holding one wall of a collapsed carton, first movable abutment means mounted in spaced-apart relation to said holding means for pivoting'an adjacent wall of the collapsed carton relatively to said one wall to open the carton while said one wall is being held, second movable abutment means mounted in spaced-apart relation to said stationary holding means and said first movable abutment means for collapsing said carton, and means for effecting substantially straight-line movement of the carton past said holding means, said first abutment means, and said second abutment means with said one wall parallel to the direction of said movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,699,712 Meyer-Jagenberg et a1. Jan. 18, 1955 

2. APPARATUS FOR OPENING OUT AND COLLAPSING CARTONS COMPRISING A HOLDING MEANS FOR HOLDING A FIRST WALL OF A COLLAPSED CARTON HAVING FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH WALLS, A FIRST TWO OF SAID WALLS BEING OPPOSED AND PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND A SECOND TWO OF SAID WALLS BEING OPPOSED AND PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID FIRST TWO OF SAID WALLS, AND SCORE LINES DELIMITING SAID FIRST TWO WALLS FROM SAID SECOND TWO WALLS, A FIRST ROTATABLE ROLLER MOUNTED IN SPACED APART RELATION TO SAID HOLDING MEANS, A FIRST ABUTMENT MEANS ON SAID FIRST ROTATABLE ROLLER FOR PIVOTING ANOTHER WALL OF THE COLLAPSED CARTON RELATIVELY TO THE ONE WALL TO OPEN THE CARTON WHILE THE ONE WALL IS 